Meerut, Dec. 3 -- The leader of the notorious nomadic gang, Mithun, was shot dead in an encounter with police late on Monday night on the Vedkhedi-Mansoora road. Mithun, who carried a combined reward of Rs.1.25 lakh from Shamli and Baghpat police, was wanted in more than 20 cases including murder, robbery, and armed assault. An accomplice, identified as Rahul, managed to escape under the cover of darkness. SOG head constable Harvinder sustained bullet injuries, while Jhinjhana SHO Virendra Kasana narrowly escaped harm as a bullet pierced his jacket. SP Narendra Pratap Singh said police received information that members of the gang were planning a major crime on the Vedkhedi-Mansoora route. Acting swiftly, a joint team of Jhinjhana police and the Special Operations Group reached the spot, where the criminals opened indiscriminate fire upon spotting the force. Police retaliated, killing Mithun on the spot. The injured head constable was referred from Unn CHC to the district hospital for further treatment. A carbine and a made-in-Italy Beretta pistol were recovered from Mithun. Mithun had a bounty of Rs.1 lakh announced by Shamli police and Rs.25,000 by Baghpat police. He came on the radar after committing a robbery involving a woman during the Kanwar Yatra in Baghpat. Since then, he continued his criminal spree across multiple districts including Shamli, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Saharanpur. "Additional director general of police (Meerut Zone) Bhanu Bhaskar has ordered an inquiry into how the wanted criminal managed to procure foreign-made sophisticated weapons. The SP said that investigators will now focus on tracing the gang's network and identifying all sources linked to the supply of these arms." Investigations revealed that Mithun frequently shifted hideouts across Punjab, South Delhi, Jaipur, and other regions to evade arrest. His gang has also been linked to several robberies in Tamil Nadu. Mithun was previously involved in the 2017 murder of Bharat Kumar in Jhinjhana. This is the third major encounter in recent weeks in which Shamli police have neutralised high-value criminals. On October 18, police shot dead Nafis, a wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs.1 lakh, in the forests of Bhabhisa village. Nafis, a resident of Mohalla Khel in Kairana, was being pursued for multiple serious offences. On October 24, police killed Faisal, a shooter associated with the Sanjeev Jeeva gang, near Bhogi Majra. An illegal pistol was recovered from him, while constable Deepak was injured after a bullet grazed past him. Faisal hailed from Meerut but was residing in Khalapar, Muzaffarnagar at the time of his death...